ISLAND NATIONS TELL UN POWERFUL STATES MUST SHOW LEADERSHIP ON CLIMATE CHANGE

ISLAND NATIONS TELL UN POWERFUL STATES MUST SHOW LEADERSHIP ON CLIMATE CHANGE
New York, Sep 28 2007 4:00PM
The greatest burden in the global fight against climate change should be borne by the world's powerful countries, which are also often the leading producers of greenhouse gas emissions, the leaders of several island nations told the General Assembly today.

Addressing the Assembly's annual high-level debate, the representatives also called on affluent nations to increase their level of spending towards an adaptation fund to help the most vulnerable States adjust their economies and infrastructure to cope with the impact of global warming.

"Obviously we have failed badly as custodians of the planet and its future," <"http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/samoa-eng.pdf">Samoa's Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi said, adding it was imperative that a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions be devised "that is effective, binding, capable of swift implementation and universally owned and respected by the 192 UN Member States."

Mr. Malielegaoi called on "those Member States of our Organization in position of world leadership to lead the charge in finding and implementing solutions."

Winston Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister of <"http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/barbuda-en.pdf">Antigua and Barbuda, said the collective response to climate change "represents a monumental test of the political will and courage of humanity in general, but especially of the political leaders of the most powerful countries."

He also urged greater spending on the adaptation fund, noting that small island States were among the most vulnerable in the world – to natural disasters as much as climate change.

"Because of our size and the nature of our primary economic activity, the infrastructure of an entire country can be destroyed by, for example, the passage of a single hurricane," he said.

<"http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/marshallislands-en.pdf">Marshall Islands' President Kessai H. Note echoed the call for increased spending to help small and poor nations adapt.

"While we are committed to playing our part, strong leadership is required by the major industrialized countries," the President of the Pacific island nation said.

Mr. Note called on the world's biggest emitters of greenhouse gases to ratify the Kyoto Protocol immediately, warning that his country faced dire consequences unless urgent action was taken.

"I find no pride in having coined the term 'ecological refugee' – it is my deepest hope that no one – and certainly no one in the Marshall Islands, will have to bear that title," he added.

Stephenson King, Prime Minister of <"http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/62/2007/pdfs/saintlucia-en.pdf">Saint Lucia, said it was important to work within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) when devising solutions.

Mr. King stressed "that the large producers of greenhouse gases must bear the responsibility for the damage being caused to the global environment, and in particular to the vulnerable countries whose sustainability and very existence are increasingly threatened by their actions."
2007-09-28 00:00:00.000

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